EUROSPORT TO DELIVER THE ULTIMATE AUSTRALIAN OPEN EXPERIENCE TO FANS IN 2021

It might be the middle of winter in Europe, but Eurosport will be turning up the heat with all the action from Down Under this February as Grand Slam tennis returns.

Every point, every match, with every big moment analysed by the very best experts in the sport – from Wilander to Becker and Henin to Henman - Eurosport’s coverage of the Australian Open (8-21 February) in 2021 is set to push the boundaries of sports broadcasting to the limit once more with every angle covered on linear, social media and digital platforms.

With more than 300 hours of live, world-class sport available to watch on linear and Eurosport App complemented by comprehensive analysis delivered from the award-winning mixed-reality Cube studio, Eurosport will be the go-to destination for fans looking for their tennis fix. In addition, for the first time, viewers in the Nordics region (Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland) will be able to watch the very best matches from Melbourne on Discovery’s new streaming service, discovery+.

Barbara Schett will anchor Eurosport’s coverage of the Australian Open from the Cube studio in London where she will be joined by seven-time Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander. Never afraid to duck the tough questions or set the news agenda with his headline-grabbing opinions, Wilander – celebrating his 15th year with Eurosport - remains one of the most-respected figures in the game. Former British number one Tim Henman, meanwhile, will join Eurosport’s coverage from the quarter-finals stage to offer his own forthright analysis from the Cube.

Boris Becker and Justine Henin, who have 13 Grand Slam titles between them, will make regular appearances in the Cube throughout the fortnight to break  in addition to their respective roles as tennis experts with Eurosport Germany and Eurosport France. Two-time Grand Slam finalist Alex Corretja will also be regularly ‘transported’ into the Cube from Madrid where he will be commentating and providing analysis for Eurosport Spain. Another Grand Slam finalist, Roberta Vinci, will be the lead expert of Eurosport’s coverage in Italy.

In a brand new format for Eurosport, Mischa’s Missions, hosted by Mischa Zverev – older brother of US Open finalist Alex – will be in Melbourne giving fans back in Europe a flavour of the city itself and what goes on behind-the-scenes throughout the tournament at this Australian Open with a difference.

Announced earlier this week, the opening day of the Australian Open will see the premiere of the Trailblazers docu-short series. The exclusive 10-episode series – which shines a light on the greatest sporting icons who both inspired and pioneered a change in society - starts with the unique story of Serena Williams. The first episode airs on Eurosport 1 across 75 markets and in five languages from Friday 5 February.

In addition to local coverage windows in Germany, Russia, Poland, Romania, Spain, Italy and Portugal, Eurosport will also produce local programming to support the live action, including:

• Matchball Becker, fronted by the iconic Boris Becker, to air daily on Eurosport Premium and selected clips on Eurosport.de in Germany
• Pasando Bolas, featuring Alex Corretja, to air daily on Eurosport in Spain with at least four episodes of the popular La Casa del Tennis vodcast available to download throughout the tournament
• ESP Tennis Club to air daily on Eurosport in France after each day’s play while former professional Arnaud di Pasquale will host a digital show Dip (Deep) Impact
• Roberta Vinci will be joined by Eurosport’s team of tennis journalists to discuss the action from Melbourne in Facebook Live sessions that will also be published as a vodcast
• Local digital show produced daily in Norway, available exclusively to discovery+ subscribers, charting the progress of local hero Casper Ruud with selected clips shared on Eurosport.no

Scott Young, SVP of Production and Content at Eurosport, said: “With the first Grand Slam of the year in sight, Eurosport will be scaling unrivalled coverage of every shot, by every player, from every court to the widest global audience, delivering the most opportunities to engage with the Australian Open however viewers choose to watch.

“The dedicated Eurosport tennis team is spread far and wide, from Melbourne to Europe via one of the most complex remote production systems in Paris and London, feeding our vast network across Europe. Our commitment to innovation will see enhanced viewing experiences served for tennis fans across all screens through the use of our award-winning immersive video environment, the Cube, to truly turn heads. We’ll be teleporting in the best experts, and complemented by comprehensive digital highlights and engaging social content, breaking news and storytelling via Eurosport.com and unmatched local coverage windows, our ultimate fan-first 360-degree Australian Open ecosystem is set to kick-start the tennis season for fans everywhere.”

Eurosport’s on-air promotional campaign – “Head-turning Tennis” is live across all Eurosport platforms now. Click HERE to watch the promo.